Do pizzas, ice creams, French fries, cookies and candies list high on your kid’s agenda for snacks. And despite you telling your kids innumerable times, they still swear by junk and unhealthy foods for snacks. Giving in for there desire for junk food is paving way for your kids to be obese.

Just as charity begins at home, good nutrition and balance diet habits start at home. The way of life today is fast paced wherein an adult is always on the move. The same applies to your children too. It is essential to have healthy snacks handy which your kids can grab on the move.

Early encouragement for smart eating habits, improved nutritious diet early in life could make your child healthy. Even if you can not stand on their heads 24*7, there are many ways where you can give them well balanced diet and life all round.

Ravenous and famished after school, you’re kid is likely to grab something from the fridge or kitchen shelf for snacks. After school snacking plays an important part of every child’s diet, as it could several hours since they last ate and they need nourishment, especially when they have to settle down, do homework and indulge in playful activities. Think of snacks as an opportunity to supplement children’s diet with healthy food. It guarantees the nutrition they deserve as well as curbs hunger pangs in between meals.

Make snack time nibbles attractive and hassle free. Prepare small portions of snacks and leave them in easy to find places like kitchen shelf, fridge or dining table. The healthiest and simplest choice for snacks is fresh fruits and raw vegetables requiring minimum preparation time.

Some good suggestions of kid friendly healthy snacks include:

1. Make fruit salads with kid’s favourite fruits. Prepare them in small batches from fresh fruits and freeze them.

2. Dry fruits like raisins or apricots and fresh fruits like apples, oranges, watermelons, and bananas.

3. Sandwiches with peanut butter, tuna or lean meat cuts.

4. Yoghurt, plain or flavoured or milkshakes made with low fat or skimmed milk. Dry cereals or cornflakes served with fruit and low fat milk.

You can spice up your kid’s snack time with variety of foods… Get your children to make the snacks menu for the week. Serve small portions instead of a big one. Let them learn to be hungry, rather than feel full and stuffed close to lunch or dinner time.

Older, active Americans have become increasingly aware of the need to keep their minds active as they age. The key is to find the right balance of physical activity, diet and mental stimulation.

The first two can seem relatively easy compared to the third. Getting your heart pumping regularly contributes to an overall healthy lifestyle. A good diet filled with lots of fruits and veggies has been a good idea ever since mom reminded you to finish your broccoli. Keeping the brain active, however, takes a little more thought.

Younger generations take brain workouts for granted. From kindergarten to college, kids get quizzed and tested all the time. Learn this, memorize that, study this and solve that. Young parents also undergo a constant mental challenge from balancing work, home life and their kids’ hectic extracurricular schedules. Somewhere in there, though, people can fall into a routine. It may take some effort to break out of it and make sure your brain is getting put through a good workout regimen.

Crossword puzzles and sudoku always have been good alternatives for people who want their daily fix of mental stimulation. As the population ages, more and more companies are finding fun and creative ways to get people flexing their mental muscles. Nintendo, a company known for its video games, is now incorporating cognitive exercises in its latest offering.

A new experience called “Brain Age™: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!,” made for the portable Nintendo DS system, gives users a real mental workout, without the need to press a lot of complicated buttons common to some video games. It’s a treadmill for the mind that fits into the lifestyles of the new generation of older adults.

Baby boomers will likely have more active and dynamic retirement years than previous generations, says Dr. Elizabeth Zelinski, dean and executive director of Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California.

“Americans can do a great deal to maintain and even improve their mental abilities,” Zelinski says. “Aging is about taking on new challenges for our minds. Nintendo’s ‘Brain Age’ is a great way for people to keep challenging themselves.”

“Brain Age” includes activities such as performing simple math problems and quick counting. It sounds simple, but the goal is to complete these tasks as quickly as possible. All of the puzzles challenge users to think on their feet. The software is available at online and local retailers, including Target and Wal-Mart.

Today the average duration of human life in the United States is just about 70 years for women and a little less for men. Conservative experts believe that man is really build to last about 100 years; and that medial advances and more healthful living habits could bring this about within a generation or two.

What good is it to add years to life if we do not also add life to years? In fact, unless people learn to enjoy life and to grow old gracefully, the extra years may be an additional burden.

From 18 to 30 years is roughly the period of highest physical and mental vigor. The experiences we accumulate from the day we are born help us to conserve and to use our physical and mental abilities more wisely, so that for some time after 30 years we are able to perform increasingly well in spite of slowly slipping vigor. After age 50 the increasing accumulation of experience is no longer able to offset the now more rapidly energy and therefore aging begins to assert itself noticeably and in many ways.

A number of things may come about gradually such as people who have not used eyeglasses before may at some time in their forties need them for reading, and in the fifties they usually need bifocals.

Also in the forties, people are likely to put on weight because there is a general slowdown in the oxidation rate of the aging body tissue. Also we tend to do less strenuous work with no reduction in the amount of food consumed.

And in the fifties there is likely to be some loss of hearing. Usually the high-pitched tomes go first, so words with the sounds of F, S, and TH are confused. A hearing aid may be needed in some cases.

Aging is generally accompanied by a loss in physical and mental flexibility. This is noticed in a tendency to become stiff in the joints; in slower comeback after a strenuous trip, excessive “night life,” or hard work; in slower healing of wounds, sore muscles, and sprains; in slower recovery of pep after an illness; and in greater difficulty to adjust to new people, new places, and new ideas.

Men, especially, will notice loss of muscular strength. There will be increased unsteadiness and delicate muscle movements will be more clumsy and the stride in waking will become shorter. The conclusion now is that the performance and ability of the elderly has long been underestimated and can be greatly improved by a proper diet, sleep and exercise along with rest and relaxation.

Many elderly people tend to lose their joy and will to live and chronic worriers may mope around and withdraw. Medical authorities now say that laughter is one of the best medicines for the elderly. You can always keep your sense of humor tuned up by surrounding yourself with pleasant and interesting people. Just act your age and don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself even when no else is around.

Now that we all know the role that physical activity plays in our lives, remember to do something physical every day. The joints must be used or quite simply they will tighten with age creating that stooped worn out appearance we so often associate with getting old. Keep yourself flexible and fit on an exercise program consistent with your ability.

What good is it to add years to life if you can’t enjoy it.

In the era where looking good seems to be a fad, a lot of people have been spending a lot of time in the gym. Burning extra calories, developing pecs, delts and abs. occasionally they spend too much time working out, lifting too much weight, and jogging too long. Unaware of the harm they are acquiring. The result? Injuries, wear and tear of some muscles which may lead to strains, sprains, spasms or other muscle injuries.

An athlete may be injured without knowing it, thus suffer competitiveness. An ordinary person may also be hurt due to working out thus affecting performance in work or in school. Sometimes many individuals feel great about their training. They appear or feel that they are injury free. They look forward of accomplishing new heights in their performance. Making them unaware that their muscles may actually be in the state of chaos. Like many athletes, everyone wants to have an injury-free body or lower the chances of injury.

Injuries like stains, sprains, spasms, etc can be prevented if one takes time to stretch. One ought to exercise properly and with precaution to avoid injuries.

Stretching is one of the most important, if not the most important ritual that should be done before and after training. Here are the benefits of stretching: reduced muscle tension, improved blood circulation, reduced anxiety, stress, and fatigue, improved mental alertness, and tuned mind and body. A lot of people have been taking stretching for granted thus making them prone to injuries. Majority of “gym rats” or workout aficionados skip stretching because of laziness or eagerness to start a work out. Stretching should be done before and after the working out.

Cool down is another workout ritual that is often taken for granted. Cool down is done after the workout. Anyone who is working out or is trying to stay fit should bear in mind the importance of cooling down. Cooling down is a full body exercise that allows the body to slowly perform transition from an exercise mode to a non-exercise mode. Depending on the intensity of the exercise, cooling down can include a slow jog or a walk. For example, after a 30-minute jog, cool down by slowing the pace of your jog for 5 to 10 minutes. Cooling down is very important because it allows the heart rate to return to its resting rate after the workout. Experts explain that stretching alone after working out is not cooling down.

Specialists on the other hand have developed medications intended to reduce the pain and discomfort associated with strains, sprains, spasms, and other muscle injuries. Carisoprodol works by relaxing muscles and relieves pain and discomfort associated by muscle injuries. It is a type of drug that can be taken orally immediately after meals to prevent upset stomach. Carisoprodol provides temporary relief and must be used in addition to rest, therapy, and other health measures. Take Carisoprodol as directed. Do not increase your dose unless prescribed by your physician. Do not start or stop Generic Carisoprodol or any medicine without doctor or pharmacist approval.

With all of the recent negative press given to body supplements, it makes good sense to be cautions about using different nutritional supplements as a part of your body building efforts.

Whey protein has been lauded as a safe, natural and simple supplement. It’s use has become popular for those genuinely interested in good health through physical fitness and body building.

The importance of adequate protein levels in the body cannot be ignored. Since protein is used up when exercising, body builders must prevent muscle deterioration by maintaining protein levels. Naturally, building additional muscle mass will also require adequate levels.

Whey protein is a substance that is drawn from milk. That’s right, plain old cow’s milk. Whey is known to be a byproduct of cheese and, until the recent discovery of its health qualities, was discarded. In fact, scientists now know that what was once considered junk is actually rich in the amino acids which help build muscles and promotes good health.

As we know, protein is found in other basic foods such as meat, vegetables and grains. But, thanks to the research that has been done, we now know that whey protein is accepted by the body better. As a result body builders and other athletes can usually expect better results from whey protein than from other sources of protein.

This high quality and natural product is also useful for other people who may be on special diets, whether they are for weight loss, food allergies, or even for diabetics. Remember, high quality protein is essential for optimum health…not just for body building. Use of whey protein can help others heal quicker and recover from illness quicker.

As always, be sure to check with your health professional before implementing whey protein or making any other changes in your diet or routines. Like anything else, too much of a good thing can be harmful, so be sure to use it in moderation.